1. Field of the Invention
This relates to apparatus and a method for removing gaseous inclusions from molten glass by subjecting the molten glass to centrifugal forces, establishing pressure gradients within the molten glass and causes the gaseous inclusions to move from the glass to the atmosphere.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Removing gaseous inclusions is known as refining. One method of refining is to mix and melt glassmaking material in the same or continuous chambers, and subject these materials to continued heating to remove gaseous inclusions. Glass is made in this prior art way by melting glass forming sand and stabilizing oxides at high temperatures in a refractory lined tank to form molten glass. Sand and the other glass forming constituents materials are accurately proportioned to yield glass of the desired composition mixed so that the materials will be homogeneous and these batch materials are heated to a sufficiently high temperature until the batch becomes a molten glass mass.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,754,886 issued Aug. 28, 1973 to Richards et al disclosed a successful method of removing undesirable gaseous inclusions by rapidly rotating a contained glass mass, subjecting this unrefined molten glass to centrifugal forces greater than gravity and developing static pressure gradients in the molten glass and causing the gaseous inclusions to migrate to areas of lower static pressure and to the atmosphere from the molten glass. This invention is an improvement to that method of removing gaseous inclusions, especially in removing gaseous inclusions in a size range of about 0.001-0.003 inches.